Validating an Alternate Assessment

This study examined the validity of one state's alternate assessment portfolio system using the American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and National Council on Measurement in Education's Standards for Psychological and Educational Testing. The results indicate serious shortcomings in the evidence for content, response process, and structural validity. Options for improving the validity of the assessment system are provided, and the implications of our findings are discussed in the context of standards-based reform.